This is for you guys, I don't know what I think on it myself.

When I was a kid I saved my younger brother's life as he was about to get hit by a van crossing the street here.

Only there wasn't a stop sign there when I was a kid. My dad, my little brother, and I were walking to the park on the other side of this street, and my brother decided to suddenly bolt across the street as a van was coming. It was extremely unpredictable, according to both my brother and my dad I grabbed my brother and jerked him back and the van went by narrowly missing him. By the way, average traffic speed there back in the day was 50 - 55 regardless of the speed limit, that town used to be A LOT smaller than it is today. Cars would drive close to the shoulder (and the van was), as well.

Thing is, I don't remember this happening. I remember my brother running out and me trying to grab him and failing, and then I don't remember the short period from me not being able to grab him to when suddenly he was in my arms and my dad was yelling at him and telling me what a good job I'd done.

Ever since that day I've always wondered about it, right when they were congratulating me I was asking them why they were doing it and trying to explain that I didn't grab him but they were dumbfounded so I rationalized it and said that it must have just been that "I didn't want him to beat me across the street." Even then it felt wrong to take credit for something I didn't do.

So what could have caused this, both normal AND paranormal. Why was I convinced, even right when it happened, that I had NOT grabbed my brother, but instead tried and was too slow.

Consider this, you are walking and talking and with someone to your left and right and while this is going on one of them suddenly sprints forward, what are your odds of grabbing them (remember you COMPLETELY don't expect it AT ALL because the idea of someone bolting out in front of a van is absurd). I could understand my dad expecting it he was a worry wart, I was a little kid who didn't think about that kind of thing and who's worldview was that of course no one would run out in front of a van. It seems illogical that I would have been able to react in time and I actually remember reacting too late, I don't remember my brother getting hit by the van but I figure if he did get hit I probably wouldn't remember it either (traumatizing).

Anyway I just thought I'd share this story with you guys and see what you thought, what the psychological explanations for having a false memory of a situation like that are, and what the paranormal explanations are as well.

Thanks!

here is another view so you can see the width of the roadway and imagine if there was no stop sign for traffic heading North/South (left/right respectively from this view). In other words it's one of those roads that people drive fast on unless the town puts stop signs there to force people to slow down, which is exactly why there are stop signs there now.

[edit on 6-5-2010 by sremmos]

[edit on 6-5-2010 by sremmos]

reply to post by sremmos


Thanks for sharing that

It's understandable that you'd continue, years later, to ponder the experience and seek answers

This next will seem not to relate, perhaps, but it's what I used in order to understand your experience:

A few times in the past month (and it happens year 'round) I've dropped something - let's say a bottle lid or other small item

In the split seconds to follow, my mind 'gives up' on catching the lid -- and waits for the clatter as it hits the floor

But, at the same time, my reflexes swing into action. And against the odds, my hand catches that lid

So now we're at the end of the sequence: my mind is baffled, because it expected the lid to hit the floor. So much so, that my mind almost creates the sound of it hitting the floor in perfect timing with that lid if it had hit the floor

Yet at the same time, there's the lid in my hand

It's intrigued me, too. It's almost as if my brain and body are out of synch in those moments. I'd expect my mind to be the stronger, as in 'mind over matter'. But clearly not. It appears 'reflex' can override that.

So my reflexes 'win'. And the evidence is right there, in my hand - the lid. Almost saying 'ha ha'

My mind does a flip-flop. It was certain I couldn't catch the lid in time.

Maybe your experience was similar ?

Not sure how you could resolve this, other than via hypnotic regression, although you'd most probably draw the line at that

Anyway, nice story and great to hear it was a happy ending



.

[edit on 6-5-2010 by Dock9]

reply to post by sremmos


Do you think adrenaline could have taken over and used all your "resources" for the save --taking away the ability to record it in memory?

I'm just guessing, I don't know. But it must feel weird for you. Have you tried to talk to like a psycho-analyst? I'm not saying your nuts at all, just that they might be able to help you recover the memory...

reply to post by Chamberf=6


Nice response !

'Adrenalin used up reserves' -- very good

reply to post by Chamberf=6


You maybe closer to the truth than you know.

There have been many instances of people performing heroic acts or other
spontaneous things and after it is over they have no memory of doing it.

It is one of those mysteries of life.

reply to post by sremmos


is that a bepo avatar??

maybe because the event was so close to being traumatic you've pushed that detail out of your mind. this is me playing devil's advocate though.

in fact what i think is the weirdest part is that your bro just up and bolted. there's no way you could have instinctually reflexed like that unless there was immediate intent in the air. the reality of the situation that was about to unfold impressed on everything around it, instants before it happened so that our instincts can bounce back thoughtlessly.
somehow the intent and obvious future of that situation, which was very dangerous, could be interpreted instinctually and viscerally.
i dunno, i chalk it up to open minded instinct, openess to the vibes of everything around you.

Fear. Sometimes it can be amazing how fast your brain works. It immediately sized up the situation, and envisioned what would happen if you had not stopped him from being hit by the van. While the thinking part of your brain was examining the possibilities of what would happen if you failed, your reflexes kicked in and did what needed to be done. Before you realized it, he was saved, but in your brain had only gotten so far in its thinking that you had failed.

I know I didn't explain that well, but I hope you get what I was saying.

Very interesting. I think it could of been your natural instinct but who knows really. It could of been a paranormal influence too. Something like this happened to me when I was a kid and I barely remember what happened. I just remember that my family and I were at a store. We passed by a two carts that were stacked high. My sister and I passed by them, but the next thing I remember was the carts begining to fall and my sister was in the way. Somehow I mannaged to stop them before they hit my sister. The rest is all a blure to me and it still is to this day. Now that I have read your post, It made me think about what happened to me when I was a kid. So, your not alone, there are plenty of people out there who had the same experience.

Its reflex…
Reflexes only travel from the spine to the limbs, not the brain, and are faster. Voluntary actions have to travel to the brain for processing then be passed along to the body, taking more time.

A voluntary action is one that is produced because of conscious choice of the organism. The organism, would in turn also be aware of the action while it is executed. This is the opposite of involuntary action, which occurs without the free will of the organism. When this involuntary action occurs in response to a specific stimulus that may arise outside the body (e.g., sudden glare that would result in closing of the pupil) or inside the body (e.g., or widening of the pupil that might occur with excitement or anxiety). Thus, an involuntary action need not be a reflex if it is not a direct response to a stimulus, e.g., alternate contraction and relaxation of skeletal muscles during a "fit" (seizure). Another distinction is that reflexes tend to have a protective value for the organism, and are seen in all members of a species, but involuntary movements may not be.
Some responses are involuntary, but may be also generated by free will, like blinking of the eyelids and respiratory movements.

I feel like your mind and body were in two different places. I mean your mind was affriad of what your brother was doing meanwhile your body reacted to the situation. Therefore you got the job done but your mind was so affriad of what might happen and you mind focused on that.

Wow, I'm getting some great responses and learning a lot about myself. I didn't know that I was capable of reacting 'faster than thought' so to speak even though now that you guys lay it out to me it makes perfect sense.

The only confusion is how my spine/reflex center knew danger was imminent, it felt like by the time I realized the consequences of failing (and in my memory, even right then, I had done so) he was in my arms.

The explanations here are awesome and really impress me with the our capabilities just as natural beings on the planet. That's really an impressive thing, to be able to react without cognition of it happening, but also incredibly useful!

It seems like I'm not alone in these sorts of things happening in "# is about to hit the fan if my body doesn't react faster than I can even think #'s about to hit the fan" and then my body actually doing so just out of pure protection/survival instinct (little brother).

It may have been quantum leaping or it may have just been a great example of how fit our instinct and reflexive nature can be in life or death situations, and really if it was reflexive and my brain was imagining the outcome of failure it would explain why I only remember 'failing' him because the imagined scenario in my head was simply interrupted by the conclusion of the event.

Wow.

Thanks guys, if others have more to say I am open to hear it, I'd love to hear more paranormal explanations, or natural explanations combined with paranormal ones as well. I'm always open to entertain ideas, and admittedly (through definite bias) am even more open to them when it comes to experiences that my brain couldn't explain itself.

Thanks again, this has been very enlightening with only eight or so posts!

Also, yes you caught my my avatar is Bepo from the One Piece Manga. Haha ya I'm a nerd.

reply to post by Chamberf=6

I'm just guessing, I don't know.

That sure sounds like a hell of a guess. I stared your post.
If your father remembers the actual vision of seeing you save your brother. Then that's what happened and there is no paranormal explanation. It all happened to fast for your memory or you closed your eyes.

Also you may gain more understanding through your thread. Nothing is
going to get rid of the ? mark.

[edit on 6-5-2010 by randyvs]

True, and in fact I'm going to see my father in a few days and while there I'll have him recount his memory of it.

Overall this thread has been great though because I did not know that voluntary actions like grabbing could occur involuntarily and without the controller's conscious knowledge. Now I do, live and learn!

It almost certainly was "normal" rather than "paranormal" I just posed it here because for me, in my memory, it's anything but normal. Thanks again

[edit on 7-5-2010 by sremmos]

trust your instincts.
when you crave a certain food, it's almost certainly because your body needs the nutrients from it, rather than how good it can taste. in fact it is usually both though, because your body correlates its nutrients and your enjoyment of it. but yeah, if you have an arbitrary craving for something, EAT IT!



also i believe INTENT has a huge impact on our instincts and pre-cognitive abilities.
take for example, the saying "bad vibes". you're put off by someone because they just give you bad vibes. you can't explain it, they're behaving completely normal, but you still don't trust them for some reason.
i believe this is where one's INTENT can be interpreted in terms of "vibes" or the frequency of feelings you feel from that person. if this person is secretly planning to screw you over, or use you, they are actively thinking and planning this, their intent is bad, and it is being put out there for everyone in the universe to feel and pick up on (also "bad" vibes are at a lower frequency and can make us feel crummy, while higher frequencies are said to be much healthier, and cause us to feel happier as well).

intent, instinct, gut feelings, spidey-senses. these are inexplicable, especially when they are correct. there is such thing as luck, sure, but when you get a distinct "bad feeling" about a situation that you have no pattern from empirically to base it off of, and are correct, then i think there is obviously something more there going on. to me, it's the true nature and intent of those around you. being open to and catering to this will make it stronger.

so to sum up the food craving thing, and this: follow your gut!

and yeah, i love one piece. . you should go and read chapter 126 right now--it's very topical.

[edit on 7-5-2010 by shagreen heart]